RADIO
In a little more than 48 hours, we'll know the two teams set to face off in Super Bowl LII. Will it be Tom Brady gunning for his sixth Lombardi Trophy, or the upstart, defensive-minded Jacksonville Jaguars? Will the Case Keenum magic continue, or will Nick Foles continue his Jeff Hostetler impression? We'll find out Sunday, while simultaneously enjoying one final weekend of non-Pro Bowl DFS action.
The goal of this weekly column is to help find the most profitable DFS stacks, while avoiding the duds. Stacking, or pairing multiple players from the same NFL team, is an ideal way to maximize your point production, which is crucial in larger GPP (guaranteed prize pool) tournaments.
With only two games to choose from, pricing becomes less of a concern. You'll want to find a low-owned gem or two, especially for tournaments, but it'll still be important to hit a high-scoring stack to build the foundation of your lineup. With that mind, instead of ranking the stacks from most expensive to least expensive as in the regular season, we've ranked them in order of appeal.
Conference Championship Round - Strong DFS Stacks
New England QB Tom Brady and RB James White vs. Jacksonville
Just to be clear: White's fellow running back Dion Lewis, as well as tight end Rob Gronkowski, both make excellent stacking options with Brady. But there's just something about White in the postseason that brings out his penchant for touchdowns.
White had just 40 yards from scrimmage last weekend against Tennessee, but scored a pair of touchdowns. The Super Bowl LI hero has total TDs in New England's last four playoff games, making him a strong pairing with Brady.
The major caveat with this stack is actually Brady. The Patriots' star quarterback missed practice Thursday after injuring his throwing hand on Wednesday. Don't expect Brady to miss Sunday's game ... but certainly keep an eye on the reports up until kickoff.
Minnesota QB Case Keenum and WR Stefon Diggs at Philadelphia
The legend of Keenum continues to grow. As if his wildly impressive regular season wasn't enough, Keenum etched his name into history with one of the most profound wins in NFL postseason lore. The "Minneapolis Miracle" touchdown catch-and-run by Diggs propelled the Vikings to an improbable win over New Orleans.
Keenum and Diggs will both play key roles in Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Eagles. Diggs has at least five receptions in each of his last five games and has found the end zone in the last four.
Adam Thielen, Kyle Rudolph, and Jerick McKinnon are also viable options, but Diggs presents the highest upside.
Conference Championship Round - Riskier DFS Stacks
Philadelphia QB Nick Foles and WR Nelson Agholor vs. Minnesota
Foles was highly efficient in the Eagles' win over Atlanta last weekend, completing 23 of his 30 attempts for 246 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. He rarely pushed the ball downfield, and he avoided any back-breaking turnovers. In other words, he played exactly how the Eagles hoped he would.
Foles is a risky play because, while he's capable of throwing two-plus touchdowns, he's not out there to sling the ball around the field. Philadelphia would prefer to win in the manner it did last weekend: run the ball, protect the ball, and control the clock.
All that being said, Foles will likely be low-owned, so there's an opportunity to cash big in GPPs if he turns in a solid performance. Agholor is the epitome of a boom-or-bust play, but he has touchdown potential.
Jacksonville QB Blake Bortles and WR Marqise Lee at New England
Oh, boy ... here we go. What are we to make of Bortles? After passing for just 87 yards in a wild-card win against Buffalo, Bortles responded with 214 yards and a touchdown in Pittsburgh last weekend.
Beyond that, he's effectively guided the Jaguars' offense and displayed an incredible knack for running the ball, as evidenced by his 123 combined rushing yards through two playoff games. Should we still be doubting him? Maybe, maybe not.
The truth is this: very few quarterbacks have ever walked into Foxborough, Mass., during the postseason and emerged with a victory. Starting Bortles (and any Jaguars, for that matter) is risky, but great risk can lead to great reward.
